I visited drusillas today with my dad and my almost 2 year old daughter. My dad and I are both from this area and used to attend as children so very nostalgic. I think the zoo attractions are great although it would be good to see a better variety of animals! Although I understand the space limitations. I also love the fact the Thomas ride hasn't changed in 30 years!

Just a couple of gripes really. We ate in the Explorer restaurant and had to wait outside for a while even though there was a large number of tables inside. My daughter won't eat sandwiches and really wanted a piece if fruit although these were only available in the lunch bags!

We also needed to wash our hands in the pet zone but the hand dryer was broken this wouldn't normally have bothered me but it was also broken when I visited 3 weeks ago and no alternative is offered! Lastly, Starbucks really?? Whatever happened to supporting local private business like yourselves.. More to the point there coffee is terrible!

Awesome experience - I took my 8 year old animal loving daughter to Drusilla's to be 'zookeeper for the day'. Her birthday treat. Our Keeper was Julie who really made our day special with her obvious passion for the animals and their proper care. This is no glamorous snapshot of zoo keeping - the kids get to weigh out food, muck out pens and learn about animal welfare. We got close up to so many animals, in fact many were on our knees ...Meercats, Beavers, Giant guinea pigs, bats, raccoon, giant pigs, chinchillas, fat tailed gerbils and so many more. We fed penguins and lemurs, held reptiles and managed to balance several birds on her head. It was magical and worth every penny.

We went in early October whilst it was still dry and fairly warm. It was almost deserted and the animals were very active. We went on everything and my grandson adored it.
We went on the train, on all the rides and in the maze but his favourite seemed to be the singing crocodile just after the farm animals and Mearcats.

We had a lovely day at drusillas park as a family. I loved seeing all the animals and reading all the facts. My daughter enjoyed the bat caves and feeding the parakeets. Staff were very friendly and park was very clean with great choice of places to eat. We cannot wait to return as riding Thomas tank engine 5 times wasnt enough.

I really like this place and recommend it for all!

As a child I used to love to go with my family and a good twenty years later returned with my partner for a day out, having discovered by chance that it is fairly easy to reach by train and foot (we don't drive). It's often the case to return somewhere you used to like and find it hasn't lived up to your memories or expectations, and I was a little unsure what to expect... especially as I recall loving the playground as a child and am too old for that now. However, we both had a wonderful visit... The park has lots to offer for families, couples and anyone who enjoys a day out in the countryside.

The park is more than a zoo... It has lovely family areas and is beautifully kept and laid out. The animals all seem happy and we especially loved being able to get close to the lemurs. We had such a wonderful time that we returned again the next year ( this summer) and had just as much fun as before.

If I was a child I would love the play area.. It has been updated since I was a child but still looked like brilliant fun, and a very clean and safe environment.

We plan to go once a year, during the summer.

Took my 5 year old grandson here for the day, the entry costs I thought were reasonable. However, I was disappointed with the attraction, my grandson wasn't really interested in the zoo which is ok, nothing fabulous, he just wanted to get to the 'play area'. There were lots of climbing frames etc but some of the interactive attractions such as the climbing wall, Dino dig etc cost between £2.50 & £3.50 which is extremely bad value.And the Thomas Tank train ride is laughable. The cost of food and refreshments were reasonable but all the food is fast fried food not a healthy choice. We only spent a few hours there then left rather deflated.

I visited the park last weekend with my wife and 2.5 year old daughter and we had a really enjoyable day. We spent 5 hours at the park, which would have been longer if my daughter had shown more interest in some of the animals. The animals that we stopped for seemed happy, friendly and comfortable in their surroundings.
We decided not to book online as the weather was always looking unpredictable, but if you can book online there are some savings to be made.
We had a small lunch at the Amazon Adventure area, just sandwiches and drinks as we didn't feel like anything too heavy. The sandwiches were very nice, and reasonably priced. The indoor play area attached was a winner with my little girl. Later in the day we had some cake at the cafe near the Hello Kitty park, and this was a lovely place to dodge the rain. The prices are as you would expect for dining out - nothing seemed noticeably expensive. The rides (Thomas train, Hello Kitty area) are free, but you will need to pay extra for face painting etc in the Hello Kitty boutique. Makes sense really, as the staff required need some talent - they are not just pressing Stop and Go buttons like on the rides.

One additional thing that I thought was great, is that everywhere that would get crowded has a designated buggy park, so space is saved wherever it could be. A good bit of planning by somebody who has put families first. A nice touch.

All in all an enjoyable day out. I would suggest that any negative comments on this board are either people with ulterior motives, or people who have had VERY bad luck.

An amazing day that I could not fault. My daughter was made to feel so special and learnt so much from the keeper we spent the day with. She managed to pack in all the animals my daughter was interested in and tirelessly answered all our questions. It was really a life memorable birthday present for her. We both loved it.

I have been visiting Drusillas for many years. First as a young child myself and now visiting with friends children. I have to say that I have always enjoyed my visits here. The food isn't fantastic and is expensive so I always tend to take a packed lunch or snack. There are a few local pubs to grab lunch at and the park itself welcomes picnickers. The zoo is plentiful in small animals and have been revamped to include several hello kitty rides. Thomas railway and a wonderful play area for children of all ages. I would recommend this zoo to fiends and family. They will have a great time!!

I remember being taken here when I was a child, my biggest memory was the play area! I used to think it was fantastic! It's also great to see certain things still there from when I was a child (meerkat pop up window/tunnel)
I work at a nursery setting so every now And again we do a visit here so I'm quite used to the facilities etc.
We decided to take our son for his 1st birthday!! He wasn't overly interested in the animals more enjoyed the fact he was set loose to wonder around safely by himself!! The grounds seems very clean and tidy so we had no issues of him picking up something he shouldn't specially at this age he puts everything in his mouth!! When we got round to the playground I was absolutely blown away at how much is now there and how much fun it looks!! Can't wait for my son to be older and have fun running around with him in there!! We used the soft play area which our son loved!! Specially the blue slide, he is a bit of a dare devil and at one point did go down by himself (accidentally) and loved it!! Then we went for lunch in the restaurant which I have eaten in before on nursery trips and never had a problem with the food served!! I was disappointed in the restaurant this time round as I felt for the prices we paid the food standard and food choices should be a lot better then they were!! The food was ok very over priced and i wouldn't eat there again unless I was aware it had been changed and improved!! The day we went on we only had the choice of the cafe in soft play or restaurant and we chose the restaurant as the cafe only had two choice of sandwiches for children and my son wouldn't eat either! The lady behind the counter was helpful to point out the restaurant gave more choices, which was correct they did do! After lunch we went and jumped on train ride, by this point our son was very tired so was a bit grizzly but it's a great little feature at the park and I'm sure when he is older he will love it! The bushes that the train passes could do with trimming back slightly as even with your arms in the cart we did get a bush attack us at one part of the journey!! Once we got off the train our son fell asleep so we decided to walk back round the park and actually look at the animals ourselves!! Nice range of animals to see!! We were able to get a good look at the animals too as we found at this time we had missed the busy part and were pretty much the only ones walking around! Which was great!!
Once we had finished wondering around we decided to go and get a memory teddy from one of the three gift shops that I know are there! I remembered one in particular used to store just teddy's with the parks logo on, so I thought if we go there we could get him something nice to remind him of his first trip to the zoo! We were very disappointed to find that particular shop wasn't open and the two that were, sold very limited stock of labelled teddies! We didn't end up buying a labelled teddy and just got a small teddy, but would of been nice to have that reminder!!
Although we had a few disappointing parts of our trip we wouldn't hesitate about returning and in fact said we would continue to bring our son on every birthday!!

Our first visit and we were pleasantly surprised at the attractive lay-out and cleanliness of the park, not to mention the great number of species kept there, each having clear information displayed nearby. Besides the animals, the park offered many other varied activities aimed at younger children, most of which were included in the admission price. An ideal venue for families and excellent value and a great learning experience for all ages !

We have been going to Drusillas park regularly for nearly seven years, and can say that every trip has been a joy for our children. Our youngest adores all of the animals, of which there is a wide variety. Current favourites include the squirrel monkeys, meerkats and 'lorry landing', where you are able to feed birds by hand. For our oldest, whilst he is still very find of the animals, there is a fantastic climbing park, maze and indoor play area that he loves to visit. You get the impression that the park is constantly striving to get even better all the time, and there has been a constant programme of new attractions, animals and enhancements over the years. The latest is the Hello Kitty area that has all the fun of Legoland for our children, without any of the horrendous queues. The staff are always helpful, happy and approachable. We have kept up our annual membership for years and would recommend it to everyone!

Having made a 600 mile round trip, primarily for Hello Kitty, I have to say that it was well worth the journey!

Although it was Hello Kitty that brought us here, we soon realised that the animal element alone justified a visit. With the emphasis on "child-size" animals there is much to interest younger children and lots of interactive features - questions, record books to stamp and opportunities to compare their abilities with those of animals (holding breath, hanging by their arms, etc with working timers).

The emphasis on smaller animals, and hence enclosures, has the advantage that there are not great distances to walk and always something to look at and entertain.

Towards the end of the "trail" by the extensive café/refreshment facilities (well presented and reasonably priced) is a large play area with far more than the usual swings and slide; I doubt if this will be surpassed anywhere!

What really sticks in our minds, though, is how immaculately maintained everything was - everything worked and everywhere was clean.

It is obvious that a great deal of thought and effort has gone into the creation and maintenance of this attraction and the proprietors have every justification to feel proud of what they have achieved.

Im not usually a fan of zoos, especially as the last few we've visited contained the most saddest bunch of animals.
But at Drusillas, there was not one disheveled sad looking animal - in fact they seemed very content in their surroundings. Love the gibbons!
The new Hello Kitty park is set in very pretty surroundings - my two loved the car ride.
Great day out.

My son Henry was bought the keeper for the day by his grandparents for his tenth birthday. We have visited Drusillas at least once a year since he was a baby as it's such a fantastic children's Zoo and is constantly adding to its facilities so there's always something new to explore. Henry loves animals so this was the perfect present. We were met promptly by his keeper Julie and all of us (which was quite a crowd) were taken through to the staff room where Henry was given a special tshirt and name badge. Julie then told us where they'd be and at what time so we could follow them and take pictures. From the first enclosure until the last Julie was fantastic and made sure that Henry had the opportunity to hand feed the animals and where possible he was able to sit in the enclosure which allowed the animals to even climb on his lap! The day was outstanding from beginning to end, he was introduced to the audience at every feeding time talk and really was a keeper for the day. We were even given a voucher for a half price lunch for him. It is one of the best things my children have ever done and I couldn't recommend it highly enough. My eight year old wants to do it now! Drusillas you should be proud of your zoo and staff.

What a fabulous park!
We had a great family day out taking our 10 month old. From farm to zoo animals, to bats and birds (the lory landers are just awesome!!) and the massive adventure playgrounds dotted throughout the park will garentee a thoroughly brilliant experience for all the family.
Friendly and helpful staff who are more than happy to tell you lots of info on their well looked after animals.
Educational interactive games for the whole family throughout around the park make it a non stop fun zone!
The food was delish too, everything seemed to be handmade! Lots of lovely attention to detail.

We spent the whole day there but yet there is so much more to be done....annual memberships all round for christmas!

Me and my partner went in the afternoon on a Saturday. We had both been plenty of times when we were younger, but of course all we remembered was the amazing playpark and Thomas the Tank Engine. This time however, we were amazed by the great collections of small mammals, including many different types of Marmosette all with brilliant enclosures. Being animal lovers, enclosures can always be bigger, but the enclosures at drusillas were fantastic, lots of enrichment for the animals and plenty of room.
Favourite moments would be:
- Seeing the shockingly big Binturong, an animal I had never heard of previous to my visit.
- Getting to see the owls being fed, what amazing predators
- The otters.
Dissapointments:
- As always with zoos on the weekend, too many screaming kids that don't even knoiw what they are looking at
- Being too late to feed loraceets
- Being too late to do the lemur walkthrough.
Conclusion:
Would definitely go back and perhaps pay for a few extras as ticket prices are very reasonable.

Went here with a group of elderly blind people. We were underwhelmed there is not much here basically loads of small animals and some kids play areas and even though we were not this zoo's key demographic (it is evidently aimed at people with children) for the exorbitant prices they charge there could be a bit more here. That said the cafe is pretty good with a good salad bar.

Having had a lifelong fear of spiders I went on the Arachnophobia course at Drusillas and within 2.5 hours I was holding a tarantula! The course is fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone who would like to face their fear of spiders.

A fantastic day out !! Kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Went in summer holidays but although busy we did manage to see and do everything. Loved riding on Thomas and the Hello Kitty area was loved by my 3 year old. The only disappointment was that you had to do the whole animal area first so by the time we got to the picnic area, the kids were starving but it didn't ruin the day. Also get to feed some birds and they eat from your hands which was definitely a highlight of the day.

A family visit, with young toddler and hubby. I'd been before, so knew what to expect, but this was a new experience for them. Although busy, there was plenty to see. This is an ideal little zoo for younger children because the animals on display are the vigorous type - lots of leaping monkeys and no empty enclosures! Interaction appears to be the name of the game, too. Not only can you walk amongst the lemurs, but there's a great little facility to walk around with birds, feeding them nectar (but watch out for the poo!). My only complaint is that the picnic areas are only really at the end of the zoo tour and, by the time we got there with a famished toddler, it was really too late to stop a tantrum. Still, it's all very nicely done - animals are clearly very happy, it's nicely kept and there's lots to see and do - almost too much, if I'm honest! Coffee shop is Starbucks which, depending on your point of view, perhaps doesn't sit favourably with the independent tourist attraction it is. Giftshops are reasonably priced and have a good, if rather eclectic, range. We liked the free ride on Thomas and were impressed with the playgrounds for young and old. Less interested in the other branded attractions (Hello Kitty - what's THAT all about??) but they're only trying to diversify, so can't really complain. Now, we had free tickets, so I can't really comment on charges etc, but I can see that it's pretty good value for money, especially when compared with attractions of a similar genre in the south east - I'm thinking Howletts, for example.

My boyfriend and i took some family friends children to Drusillas today and were amazed at how good it was. Loads of animals to see and got given free stamp books to stamp everytime we found certain animals. The information was great next to each animal. We got to feed some birds but did have to pay extra for the food.

The play area looked abit tired and in need of a lick of paint and some TLC but as the height of the season is ending maybe this will be addressed.

Thomas the tank engine train was great but needed a few more 'thomas' bits to look at as seemed to be times where all we could see was the field outside the park or the play area we just went through.

We found the food there very expensive and not worth the money spent.

Hello Kitty Land was great for the kids who got to go on the rides. These were good for young kids but needed a bit more for the bigger kids. One of the kids with us is 8 and found the rides a little boring but we understand that they cater for smaller kids.

was worth the enter cost and will return again in 2015.

We took our grandson for a day and we all thoroughly enjoyed it it's so educational for children and adults alike and well arranged so nothing is missed a booklet to stamp when the animals have been seen is a good idea, and all the extra's on the way the animals are well cared for the highlight was feeding the parakeet type birds with honey and seed and the trip on Thomas has to be done. A new hello kitty is worth a visit but too girlie for the boys. so much to do and a fab play area. this is well worth a visit.

We took our nieces and nephew to Drusillas and had a brilliant day out. Very reasonable cost too considering there were four of us. Lots to do and see, good parking and really helpful enthusiastic staff who know their stuff. We will be returning soon with the grandchildren.

We visited Drusillas recently for a family day out - with the main aim at entertaining our (nearly) 3 y/old, whilst visiting family nearby.

Car park was very full on arrival - more than enough space for us, but we had the concern that this would lead to an overcrowded park.

Passed through entry gate with relative ease, friendly staff. Followed the route signposted, which takes you through the wide variety of animals and related info/short games which kept the interest of my daughter. The animals here are small (in thier size) - but the park sell themselves on the fact its a childrens zoo, and promote this fact, so this wasnt a shock. in fact our kids would be daunted by big cats, gorillas etc at their age.

To my surprise despite the car park, the park didnt seem overly busy, I think this is as the signposted route encourages a natural flow rather than a surge over to a particualr area, which natrually speads people out.

The live Lemur area was a highlight, a little tight with a Bugaboo double buggy, but just about do-able.

After a couple of hours we reached the play areas. I dont recall seeing previously at ay location such an array of (well maintained) play equipment, covering a variety of ages, indoors & out. This alone is worthy of a day out, without the previously visited animals section. If anything this area will be even more useful to us in a couple of years time...and kids older.

We evetually after a couple of hours passed through to the picnic area - bustling but not overcrowded and had our (late) lunch there. Appears they have a stage area there for cartoon character events during the year, which we'll return for.

After this rest break we then visited the newly opened Hello Kitty area, like the rest of the park this is immaculate, which you would expect for somewhere so new, but you'd imagine with Drusillas track record, it'll remain this way going forward. The area was perfect for our daughters age, as its a worthwhile and modest area rather than being the focul point of the park. The costume wasnt out the day we visited, but our daughter went on 2 of the rides and had her facepainted.

The day ended with the ride on Thomas. I did see long queues here earlier so left it till the end of the day when we just walked straight on.

Although Drusillas is clearly not in the same size league as large zoos or larger attractions in the country, dont make our mistake and arrive too late in the day (late morning) as this is a genuine full day out, and I would be surprised if your kids arent completly worn out come the end of the day. A superb location for an active day out.